What's wrong with Leupolds VX-III CDS Scopes

I know I'm a true long range hunter with my longest shot on a Antelope at just over 500 yds. I did fall in love with Leupolds VX-III 4.5x 14 40mm CDS on my Model 700 .223 Rem for Prairie Dog hunting works great. I liked it so much I bought another 3.5x10 40mm which is on my 300 H & H right now, which is headed to Idaho next week to go Elk hunting.
I thought about putting on the 4.5x14 40mm VX III on the 300 H & H but was afraid of less field of view.
I am surprised field of view is not a problem for some of you or is it ?
I also know I like to buy American & that's just the Redneck in me. So I try to keep Americans working when I can. This is a major reason for Leupold scopes & rifles for me or am I missing something ?
The reason I ask is I took the 3.5x 10 40mm off my .264 Win Mag so my winter project will be looking for a new scope for it. This rifle is a Model 70 XTR in H S Precision stock with factory 24 inch barrel it averages less than 2.5 inches at 300 yds With Nosler Brass CCI primers 250 IMR 4350 & Nosler 120gr. BT with I have had great success with Mule Deer & Antelope.
So if not another Leupold what & why ? Thanks & Good Hunting

I have seen issues with new VX-R and VX-2 scopes that I don't like. VX-3 and higher end scopes seem fine to me. If you don't mind paying the 25% premium for the Leupold name, then I think VX-3 and higher are generally good scopes. If you find one in your budget with the features you want, then go for it.

All I have currently is Leupold. I think the old VX-2's, and 3's were better scopes. We kind of went through a period where either we were asking more or the scopes weren't keeping up. Tracking, and shaking loose on heavier magnums issues. They fixed them but nobody warranties aggravation.

They kind of went through a period of Bipolar with us. One day send you a brand new one for something you admittedly broke, and the next would be a hassle start to finish, and not fixed the first time through.

There's been lengthy threads on that. They build, and sell a lot of scopes, on occasion ones going to get by.

I like the Mark 4's very much. I think scopes that beat it for rugged, add a lot of weight.

My next planned purchase will be the Nightforce ATACR, but yes I will continue to use and buy Leupold.

well i never been a leupold's fan, but a wierd combination of events like shooting a friend's rifle with a vx3 on top followed by this video, i ended digging in the middle of my house looking for my old credit card semented 3 mts. under the living room.

All this before my girl came back, finally ordered a vx3 4.5-14x40mm bone and croket ret.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XdCGP6xEAo][Leupold] Built to take a pounding (2013) - YouTube[/ame]

I hope nothing is wrong! I have a VX2 3-9x CDS on a 300 Win Mag for ELk hunting and have had no problems with it. I shot a ground hog match with it (200/300/500yds) and had to make on-the-fly adjustments as my zero was off from the CDS dial. From that shoot experience, I decided to up my magnification from 9x to 14x. Received my VX3 4.5-14x CDS last week, but haven't mounted it yet. The VX2 CDS will move to a 35 Whelen in the near future.

I looked at Nikon, Vortex, Zeiss, Bushnell and Weaver before deciding to stick with Leupold. As I transition from CHEAP scopes (Bushnell Banners, Simmons, Tasco, etc), I'm finding that Leupold and Redfield (Revolution) scopes have been ending up on my rifles.

My Burris Signature Select 4-16x44 made in the USA is much more clear than any Leupold VX II I ever looked through. You have to go to a VX III that costs more to get the optical clarity, and then you do not have the 4X zoom range and you will have spent more money as well.

Beretta bought Burris and dropped a lot of the good old models, so I might not buy any more of them as new, but if a used scope is OK then a Burris Signature Select will beat a Leupold that sells at the same price.

Leupold has nothing for the same price that compares to the Burris Timberline scopes. In fact, nobody I know has anything at the same price that matches the Burris Timberline scopes, but they are not a true high end scope, just a lot of bang for the buck and all that some people need. They are aimed at mountain rifle, rimfire, air rifle, lightweight varmint rifle and others needing a small, rugged scope with excellent image quality. Not a good scope for very low light due to the smaller objectives, but they perform better than you would think in low light considering the small objectives. I owned three different models of the Burris Timberline, so I would know, and still own 2 of them. The third was a trade-in for a Signature Select..

Join Our FREE Newsletter!

About us

My family and I welcome you. I started LRH back in 2001 to provide a friendly place where like-minded individuals could share information and ideas to help take their long range shooting and hunting to the next level. We work hard to provide an enjoyable place to spend your time.

-Len, Andy, Chris and Kathy Backus-

Site Functions

Useful Links

Advertise Your Business

LRH is the website of choice for many of the sharpest minds in modern shooting and hunting. We have a high renewal rate among our Advertising Sponsors indicating that they feel the advertising is effective. They recognize our over 100,000 members as serious buyers who help set trends.